How GIS Has Changed Our World

alaska

In a study by the CDC for the year of 2016, the rates of sexually-transmitted infections (STI) per state was studied. The map seen above shows the comparison of the rates of each state. The state with the highest STI rate in 2016 was Alaska; in comparison, the state with the lowest STI rate was Vermont. It is very interesting to see where the states are that have the higher rates (lower numbers on the scale) and most of them are states in the South East.

Check out this mapwhich shows the percent of people living with HIV who were uninsured by county for the year of 2014 ages 13 and older. From the map we can see that a large portion of counties within Hawaii, the north east, and some midwest states had some of the lowest percentages of people with HIV who where uninsured indicated by the yellow shading. In contrast states in the south and west had some of the highest percentages of people living with HIV who were uninsured. We can see Alaska and Texas were predominantly shaded dark, indicating percentages ranging as high as 19 to 39.

Check out this map that shows the percent of people living with HIV who are living in poverty by county for the year of 2014. From the map we can see that a large portion of counties in the southern and western states have a higher percentage of people with HIV living in poverty, indicated by the dark shading. We can also see that Alaska has counties shaded dark, such as Yukon-Koyukuk Census area, indicating the percentage of those living in poverty range from 22.61 to 47.40.

I’ve posted a few things about changing temperatures and human impact consequences, so I wanted to share a documentary that I recently saw called Chasing Ice. This documentary follows environmental photographer James Balog, on his passionate project to give the public visual evidence of global warming. Balog and his team decided to focus on melting glaciers, and the drastic changes that are adding to sea level rise. With the ongoing controversy on the truth of global warming, Balog knew that people needed evidence that they could see with their own eyes. Balog and team of scientists, EIS engineers, and photo assistants, traveled to Greenland, Iceland, and Alaska capturing otherwise never could be seen glacial calving. They set up timer cameras to capture images of glacier melting over a few month period and created a time-lapse video which gave the public a real look into how temperature is effecting these areas. Even though these places seem and are so far away, our daily choices effect them, and in turn will effect us in the future. Be sure to check out the documentary, which can be found on Netflix! Our impact does effect the environment, and now the argument of “not seeing” our effects, can in fact be seen and trust me it will shock you.

Salmon Blitz was developed in 2013 to engage citizen scientists in documenting salmon habitat in the Copper River watershed. Volunteers assist in the field and collect the data necessary to nominate stream and lake habitat for listing in the State of Alaska’s Anadromous Waters Catalog (copperriver.org)

For the protection of salmon, trout, and other anadromous fish, and for educational purposes, the CRW worked with Vertices and developed a personalized mapping tool that the community can use. Through Mappler, the community visiting the CRW in Cordova, Alaska, can now help monitor the fish population just by observing and inputting a small but of information using your phone.

The information that you input consists of your name, about how many fish you saw, where you saw them, date, time, weather conditions, any additional information you know about the fish, what the habitat looks like, and any other observations you want to share. So go ahead and visit the CRW, learn something, and share it!

Posted by Eva Gerrits, Intern. Click here to see the site. Contact at gis@vertices.com

A new project has been set up for marine debris mapping in Cordova, Alaska. This is a community map which means that anyone in the area who see debris on the land or water can photograph, pin-point, and share with anyone through the site. Using Mappler, you just add the location you found the debris and then choose what kind of debris it is from the long list of options (there is also an option for unknown). You can also add in the time and date, additional comments, and the length of the debris.

If you are ever in the Cordova area or around the Gulf of Alaska make sure to post what debris you find! This will help with cleanup and pollution monitoring !

Posted by Eva Gerrits, Intern. Click here to see the site. Contact gis@vertices.com

Sheridan Glacier

This icy glacier, located right outside Cordova, Alaska, is a beautiful spot that has been a popular location to visit while in the area. There are hiking trails, nearby skiing areas, and walkable glacier areas with ice caves. This breathtaking place of nature unfortunately is seeing some changes in size which could be related to shifts in temperature. On http://www.mappler.net/sheridan/ you can see the changes from an aerial view.

This photo was taken on April 26, 2003

As you can see, there are quite noticeable changes between the top photo and the bottom photo. The ice is being separated further and further apart and looks like the result of temperature change.

This photo was taken on August 12, 2013

Visit the site, and check up on how this glacier is doing!

Posted by Eva Gerrits, Intern. Click here to see the site. Contact at gis@vertices.com